


Nothing to Fear

by amethyst-noir (Arbonne)



Series: Prompt Collection [9]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Cloak of Levitation (Marvel), First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Stephen is an insecure mess, Wong is the best friend Stephen could ever wish for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 15:31:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16140194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arbonne/pseuds/amethyst-noir
Summary: Fact was, Stephen Strange did not know how to flirt when he was seriously interested.Stephen needs a little push from Wong to move his relationship with Tony to the next level.





	Nothing to Fear

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [【授翻】Nothing to Fear/无所畏惧](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17298980) by [Clover_cherik](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clover_cherik/pseuds/Clover_cherik)



> Another one from my inbox: :)  
>  _and if you want another prompt, maybe just Stephen coming out to Tony? Like they were friends, ever since they all defeated Thanos they kept in touch and now they are best friends so Stephen thinks he should tell him the thing he only told Wong before? But he is very nervous and scared anyway._
> 
> This is cute, sweet and hopefully a little bit of fun. They end up together, what did you expect? Happy end and all that. I've got a promise to keep.

"What am I supposed to _do_?"

"First of all? Stop running around like a squirrel. Second? _Tell him._ "

Wong, the original unmovable object, just stood there, arms crossed, and looked at Stephen as if he were the greatest idiot of all times. To be fair, he kind of felt like that at the moment. It shouldn't be this hard. They lived in modern times, Tony was a modern guy and Stephen should be able to just open his mouth and tell him that he liked guys way more than girls.

That wasn't the problem. He could do that, he'd done it before. What he'd never done before was going up to the object of his desire and tell _them_ that he was interested. All his other affairs with men - which were not that many, to be honest, he'd always been more concerned with his career than sex - had approached him, not the other way round. Despite all his precautions they'd seen something in him, could tell his interest and acted on it. Sometimes it had been great. Sometimes… not.

Fact was, Stephen Strange did not know how to flirt when he was seriously interested. A few harmless innuendos, not to be taken seriously, were no problem. He'd winked at _Tony Stark_ after knowing the guy for about thirty minutes, for heaven's sake! He could do cute banter and sarcastic quips with the best of them. Which was Tony, once again.

"Stephen!" Wong broke through the endless circle of self-recrimination with a shout. "It's easy. You like Stark, he obviously likes you or he wouldn't keep you around or come over all the time." Despite the harsh words there was no criticism in them; he liked Tony, after all, even though he tended to show it through sarcasm. A language both Tony and Stephen were fluent in. "It's no secret that he likes girls _and_ boys, so I really don't understand your problem."

"But I don't know if he likes _me_." It was a cliché, yes, but Stephen really hadn't planned on speaking those words out aloud. He groaned, closed his eyes and finally sat down on the big library sofa. "Forget that I said that." Even when he'd _been_ a teenager he hadn't felt like this. _This is how you know that it's the real thing._ He shoved the thought away, again.

Wong laughed. "Never," he said but he sounded kind about it. He sat down besides Stephen and even went so far as to put an arm around him. Physical touch was unusual for them and Stephen leaned into it gratefully. "Believe me, he likes you. If you weren't blind concerning him you'd have seen it months ago. He looks at you like you're personally responsible for the sun rising in the morning."

"That's kind of his thing, isn't it," Stephen muttered. "Savior of the galaxy and all that."

"Which he couldn’t have done without you. Just tell him. He's not going to run away and banish you from his life forever."

Stephen shuddered. Wong had put his fears into words. "He likes me as a friend, yes. But why should he…"

Wong stopped him right there and then with a gentle whack to the head. "Stop it. I don't want to hear it. Swallow your pride and tell him or stop pining after him like the lovesick fool you are. It's getting tiresome."

*

_I don't want to ruin our friendship but I thought you should know…_

By the heavens, this couldn't get any worse. In his mind he'd tried pretty much every phrase and by now he had arrived at the stilted ones, straight out of some trashy movie. _But at least they **work**_ , he thought and knew it that moment that it was enough. Time to stop acting like a teenager and be himself.

The only problem was that he just didn't know how to be himself anymore. Instead he was a nervous wreck; had been since the moment he finally realized that he'd managed to fall for earth's greatest defender, also known as one of the suavest playboys to ever grace the planet. In the same moment Stephen had lost every last shred of his own composure and left behind was an insecure mess that wanted but didn't know how to ask for it. It was a new experience for him and he hated it.

He'd cancelled the last few meetings with Tony last minute and by now the man probably thought that _he'd_ made some faux-pas and that Stephen hated him. He'd seen Tony spiral down into self-hate without much reason too often to not know that he was not the only he person he was hurting with his behavior.

Time be himself; Doctor Stephen Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts and forty-three years old. He could do this.

The Cloak fluttered behind him, as if to give him support.

*

His resolve had almost left him again by the time he'd opened the portal to the tower.

"Hello, Stephen!" At least FRIDAY sounded happy so see him and Stephen automatically smiled at the nearest camera and nodded a greeting. The Cloak waved. "Boss is in the living room. You've got the authorization to just go through. He's waiting." Stephen's spirits lifted.

He nodded his thanks, took a deep breath and went in search of Tony.

"Hi!" Tony, obviously told of his arrival by FRIDAY, smiled at him and Stephen felt those mythical butterflies in his stomach. Tony's smile really could not only light up a room but power the whole world for a week if he really meant it. "You made it! Great!"

Stephen smiled back by reflex. "Hi. Yes. Sorry about that." Words were hard but he hoped that his expression showed his sincere happiness at being here. The Cloak gave him a little push to propel him a little bit nearer to Tony and he shushed it with an impatient gesture.

Tony, laughed, again. "Trouble with your cape?" The Cloak, who was used to this kind of teasing, swatted at him, deliberately missing him. "I must say that I like the new look." His eyes wandered up and down Stephen's body, his intention clear, and Stephen couldn't help but _blush_. It was embarrassing. He was in normal clothes, just some old jeans and an even older shirt. They were from before the accident, before he'd gained muscle mass, and were a little bit on the tight side, but still comfortable. The outfit showed off two of his best attributes - his legs and his shoulders. At least that was what the Cloak had told him before it had decided to be his jacket for the evening.

A jacket that now floated away to commune with FRIDAY, or whatever it did whenever they came over here for an evening, and left Stephen just standing there, feeling exposed.

 _He likes you_ , Wong had said. _And you're both idiots._ Considering the way Tony was looking at him right now Stephen had to conclude that yes, he was an idiot, blinded by his own insecurities. He finally shrugged, still not knowing what he was supposed to do, let alone say.

Tony finally came close to him, reaching out with one hand. "If I may?" He didn't even wait for an answer but stepped right up to Stephen and looked up. The height difference wasn't that big but enough that Tony had to stretch a little and Stephen had to bend down a little.

Tony's hand landed on his shoulder and stroked over the soft, worn material. "Very nice," he almost purred. He didn't mean the damn shirt and Stephen could feel the blush creep over his face and down his neck. "At first I didn't know what to make of your skittish behavior," he continued. Stephen wanted to protest against that description but was too busy just breathing in Tony's wonderful scent. Besides, it wasn't untrue. "But then I began to think and research," Stephen shivered, he'd seen Tony in one of this think-and-research phases before and it was hot as hell. All that concentration, focus and pure stubbornness focused on _him_? Tony thinking about him, caring enough about him to dedicate time and effort? "And ask questions. Not that you noticed, you were so fucking clueless I couldn't believe it. For a time I even thought that you might not be interested. You're a master at giving mixed signals, Stephen."

"It's a gift. You're not bad at them either."

"I was just copying the master." Tony's hand slowly wandered from his shoulder to his throat - as if he _knew_ just how much of a turn on that was for Stephen - and up to his face.

The sensual contact finally broke through the numbness. He was a little bit hesitant but he brought up a trembling hand to hold on to Tony before pulling him close for a kiss. _Finally_ , he thought, before his brain went offline to concentrate on other, more basic things.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted [here](https://amethyst-noir.tumblr.com/post/178017974481/and-if-you-want-another-prompt-maybe-just-stephen/).


End file.
